Sunday, February 22, 10:15 – 11am
Henri Rousseau. Unpleasant Surprise (detail), 1901. The Barnes Foundation, BF281
Free; registration required.
About the Talk
Each month, members of our education, research, and curatorial teams present their ongoing research on the collection to members. These talks are a great way to learn more about your favorite artists in the collection.
Henri Rousseau produced an enigmatic body of work that still fascinates viewers today. Throughout his career, Rousseau crafted complex paintings shaped by spiritualism, popular symbolism, and observations about real and imagined worlds. In this exclusive talk, gallery specialist Chase Frost delves into the archetypal and symbolic elements of three monumental works, which are shown together for the first time ever in Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets: The Sleeping Gypsy, Unpleasant Surprise, and The Snake Charmer. Learn how Rousseau’s idiosyncratic visual language emerged to engage themes of transcendence and mythmaking and see how his works are far from naive.
This talk takes place in Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets in the Roberts Gallery.
Henri Rousseau. Unpleasant Surprise (detail), 1901. The Barnes Foundation, BF281
Go Further
Members-Only Tour: Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets
Members are invited to exclusive tours of Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets in the Roberts Gallery.
Members-Only Online Tour: The Barnes Collection
See favorite works like never before, with up-close looks that reveal more about the art and artist.
Members-Only Online Tour: Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets
This exclusive online tour offers members up-close views of the exhibition.